


Jump-Suits

by alirose_x



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Hurt, Lots of Hurt, M/M, POV First Person, Prison, Tags to be added, Violence, will get better...eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-02-22 07:06:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13161807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alirose_x/pseuds/alirose_x
Summary: Mike Ross' luck has run out and he ends up trading his "designer" suits for prison jumpsuits. Mike is facing many hurdles and the real question is whether he will be able to make it out in one piece.





	1. Chapter 1

It didn’t really hit me until the lights were turned off and I heard the catcalls. Demons hidden by the night, promising to hurt me in the light. I knew that my time as a lawyer would always be limited and it was a matter of when I would be caught, rather than if. Despite that, a part of me dared to hope and dream about what would happen if my charade never ended. 

I wanted to make Harvey proud and show him that I wasn’t a massive fuck-up but instead I had only proved everyone right. The jeers from the other inmates grew louder so I tried to block them out. I had seen enough movies to know that they were probably taunting the new inmates, waiting for the sound of one of us crying our eyes out. In all honesty I thought that by now I would be sobbing into the scratchy blanket, begging someone to wake me from this nightmare. The only thing stopping me was my pride not wanting to bend to their wishes and the fact I knew that when I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop. 

We all expected the guilty verdict but no one expected that I would be sentenced to five years in a maximum security prison. Anyone else in my position would have got either probation or a year and a hefty fine but not Mike Ross. I found out form Jessica that Judge Carmen hated Harvey Specter and so hated anyone he knew, which unfortunately included me. She told me that it was best not to mention this fact to Harvey for fear that I would make him feel guilty. It didn’t seem to matter to her that Harvey’s arrogance when he was younger meant that I was now forced to live with serial killers, rapists and paedophiles. 

I tried to find out why Carmen had it in for Harvey, but she refused to tell me, claiming that it was none of my business. Funnily enough, Harvey didn’t meet my eyes when I received my sentence or when I was dragged away. A part of me blamed him for this hell I was trapped in but most of me didn’t dare to place the blame at his feet. Harvey gave me more purpose and direction in the years that I worked with him, than I had ever had. He helped me do a job and live a life I would never have been able to do without him and for that I was forever grateful. If the price of that was five years of my freedom, then I would pay it with as much dignity as I could muster. 

While I didn’t blame Harvey for my current situation, the same couldn’t be said for Grammy. I had only ever seen her break down in tears twice in my life, the first was when she was told that my parents were dead and the second was when my sentence was passed. Just before I was taken away by the bailiff I saw her do something that she has never done. She marched right up to Harvey and before he could even speak, she slapped him across the face before letting out another sob. Harvey’s impassive mask didn’t slip once, he just turned away from Grammy and stiffly walked out of the court room. What hurt most was that he didn’t look back once, one smile or smirk from him and I would have known that it would all be okay. I would have known that he had a master plan and this was part of it. Him not looking back told me all I needed to know. This was really happening and the master plan that I hoped for would only become available to me after 1,824 days. My eyes flicked back at Grammy, I had to make sure she was okay before I left and the sight of Donna holding her gave me a peaceful feeling I didn’t even know I was seeking. 

The sound of someone shouting “fresh blood” pulled me from own thoughts and I instinctively flattened myself against the wall of my bunk. Even though it was near pitch black where I was sitting, I still feared that they could see me. I didn’t want to give them the opportunity to be able to study me and pick me out as the easiest target. 

A few laughed along with the person who had shouted out until someone else spoke over them all. 

“Did you see the blonde?” he said and that earned him a few whistles. 

I quickly recalled the faces of all those who had travelled on the bus with me. I began to get a sinking feeling when I realised that there were only two blonds brought in today. 

“Which one?” someone asked, as if they could read my mind.

“I’ll take either; my girl is blonde so I have a preference for those that look like her.”

“Hey Al, ain’t she got blue eyes?” a new voice asked.

“Ye, looks like I’m going to have to pick the one with the bluest eyes. I’m sentimental like that” he laughed in response. 

My heart felt like it had stopped at those words, I had never really been able to hold my own in a fight and I knew for a fact I would never be able to win against hardened criminals. Maybe I could just keep my head down for a while and make sure I was never cornered. I was used to having to get out of tight spots so maybe that could finally come in handy. Not that getting out of tight spots had helped me much recently. 

“26890 is who I want to make my bitch” another inmate declared proudly. 

“I reckon that one knows what to do with a hard dick, I’m getting blue balls just thinking about it” a gruff voice laughed. A few more laughs rang around the prison until they finally started to talk about a different prisoner. 

I automatically zoned out at that point and began to think of the easiest way to prevent them from getting me alone. While 26890 may sound like a random sequence of numbers to some, to me it was my new identity, another way to get rid of Mike Ross. 

I knew that my slimmer frame and boyish features would make it very likely that they would want me as their bitch. I didn’t expect them to have already singled me out or to have known my prison number. The only strength I had was my mind so if I couldn’t out fight them or run from them, maybe I could outsmart them. To do that though, I would need to know more about this place and the way it runs but then finding out more would likely result in them getting to me. Talk about Catch-22.

As I sat and thought, the darkness began to comfort me. No one would be able to get me as long as the door stayed locked and so for the night I was safe. I didn’t know how long it would be until I got a cellmate but for now I was grateful that no one else was in here and I could at least sleep in some semblance of peace. 

I laid down on the bunk, keeping my back pressed against the wall and willed myself to sleep. I wouldn’t be able to function without it and I had to make sure I was on top form tomorrow if I was going to be able to figure a way to stay safe, while also staying away from trouble. The fact that I hadn’t slept properly in a while seemed to help until eventually I was able to fall into a fitful sleep.

Day 1 of 1,824 complete, only 1,823 to go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The sound of my cell door unlocking caused me to wake with a fright. Remembering what the officer told me yesterday, I quickly got out of bed and stood in the doorway of my cell for the morning count. One of the officers on duty walked past me and clicked his clicker before moving to the next cell. 

No one was allowed to move until the other officers had reported their count and saw that everyone was accounted for. I looked around nervously, not really sure what to do next. The unit was silent until the officers went into the observation box and then the murmuring started until people were in full blown conversations. 

We had to wait until 7AM before breakfast would be served and I knew that people would usually use this hour to shower. The unknown of the showers scared me and while I wouldn’t be able to avoid them forever, I knew that I could for now. Despite that, I didn’t fancy the idea of staying in my cell for the hour any more than the shower. With the threats from last night, an empty cell didn’t seem like a sensible option. 

Some prisoners walked past me with towels slung over their shoulder, walking to where I assumed the shower area was. Others stayed at the entrance of their cell, some watching everyone else, while others were talking in small groups. 

I accidently made eye-contact with a guy a floor above who was leaning against the wall. His hair was shaved in a buzz cut style, tattoos covered his neck and I could see more on his arms from where he had rolled the sleeves of the jumpsuit up. From where I stood I couldn’t see what they were but I could definitely take a guess. Just as I was about to look away he smirked and made a kissing motion with his lips, before winking at me and laughing. I could feel my skin crawl from disgust under his unwanted gaze and quickly averted my eyes. 

“Mike” I heard someone whisper beside me and I snapped my head round to find Gareth looking at me. He was a few inches shorter than me and had combed his black hair forward so that it covered parts of his face. 

Gareth was one of the men who came in on the same bus as me and refused to give anything but his first name. During the journey I was the only person he spoke to, I wasn’t sure if it was a matter of convenience because I was next to him or if he felt that I looked like I needed someone to talk to. If I was completely honest, I would have preferred if he hadn’t spoken at all, all he kept saying was that he was going to get a huge welcome from the other inmates. From the way he spoke on the ride over, the second he stepped foot in the prison he was going to shoot straight to the top of the hierarchy. However, the bruises that littered his face and he partly closed left eye told a very different story. 

“What happened?” I asked, motioning to the bruises without even thinking. Was it even acceptable to comment on that sort of thing? I knew that not asking about a person’s crimes was an unspoken rule but what else were you not supposed to do? It’s not as if you get handed a “do’s and don’ts” before entering. 

Step one of prison etiquette for dummies: don’t commit a crime and if you do, don’t get caught, that way you won’t have to even worry about prison etiquette. 

“My cellmate. He wanted to make sure I knew my place” Gareth finally replied, pulling me out of my own inner ramblings. 

“I thought you knew people here?” 

“Turns out that I don’t know them as well as I thought. Al, my cellmate, told me that my cousin no longer ran things after he was put in the hospital. My other cousin has taken over his unit but is pissed that I didn’t come visit so he won’t help me. If that wasn’t bad enough, none of my friends or family are in this unit so even if they wanted to help they couldn’t” he signed. He moved slowly as if he ribs were in a sorry state and leant against the wall next to my cell door, one leg bent at the knee and resting on the wall behind him.

“Dude, that’s tough luck. I know I’m meant to say something about not worrying and it all working out but I don’t think I would even be much help” I told him. I tried to give a small smile so he knew that I was trying to lighten the mood and it seemed to work because he huffed a laugh.

The more I thought about what he had said, the more something felt out of place, until finally it clicked. 

“What’s your cellmate called again?”

Something flashed across his face, as if he instantly knew where I was going with this, “Al” he replied.

“Same one talking about wanting a blue eyed blond last night?”

“Unfortunately for you, yes”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, I felt like this was all going to go south very quickly and I glanced at the nearest officer to see that he wasn’t that far away. 

“He asked me about the different newbies and I tried to ignore him but look at what he did to me. Eventually we got onto you and he told me he wants you.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m giving you a warning, do with that as you will.”

“Thank you, not that I even know how I can protect myself in this place” I mumbled while pulling on my hair out of fear. 

“If you let Al have you, he will protect you. You won’t have to worry about the others” Gareth said as if those were comforting words. Were they meant to be comforting? They didn’t feel very comforting. 

“How many others?”

“I don’t know for sure but most of them are viewing you as the top prize, bets are being placed on who will have you first. Who will break you and how you will react when broken. If you choose wisely now then you won’t have to worry about everyone else, you will be protected by the one you choose.”

“And you want me to pick Al? Why? What’s in it for you?” I asked, I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice.

“Yes, he is your best option. I’m just trying to help you out, there is nothing in it for me” he tried to assure me.

“Bullshit” I spat without thinking “there is no way you are trying to convince me to go with Al, all out of the kindness of your heart.”

“He wants you and eventually he will get you, if not him then someone else. There are plenty in here who will try to get to you and sooner or not, one of them will get to you in the end. You just need to decide if you want to be the one who chooses his own destiny or waits until there is a gun to your head.”

“Well, someone once told me that if someone ever puts a gun to your head you always have more than one option.”

“What? Other than getting shot?” he asked, the look on his face showed that he clearly thought I was crazy.

“You take the gun, or you pull out a bigger one. Or, you call their bluff. Or, you do any of a hundred and forty-six other things” I told him, reciting Harvey perfectly. A small smile formed on my face as I thought of the man but it quickly vanished at the prospect of not seeking him until I was released. Judging by the way he stormed out of the court room, I doubted visiting me was high on his list of priorities. 

“One thing I wouldn’t suggest, is calling their bluff” Gareth warned. 

“If you were in my position, would you really just hand yourself over to someone like that?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

A heavy silence hung around us, I was too busy having a panic over how best to deal with this information and I doubt Gareth knew what else to say.

After a while I asked “how does prison usually work? Is it like the films portray it, or am I well and truly out of my depth?” 

Gareth thought about my question, obviously considering it before answering. “There are definitely different groups and within each there is a hierarchy. This unit isn’t the worst in this shithole so it’s not as divided or cutthroat as the others. In that sense you are lucky. Fights do happen, not as frequently as TV makes out but frequent enough for you to be on the lookout. There are certain people that you don’t piss off under any circumstances because then you will probably be getting out early, via a box. Seg block isn’t as chill as you might think, many think it’s an easy way out, being segregated must equate to safer right? Wrong. That’s where a lot of the real fucked up people end up so you might be okay physically, but mentally is a different story. If you keep your head down, do as you’re told then you should be alright.”

“Aright enough to avoid having to be someone’s bitch?” I found myself asking.

“Alright meaning not dead. Unless you are a secret martial arts expert and willing to take down every motherfucker in this unit, you are going to become someone’s bitch. The sooner you realise that, the better for you it will be when it happens.” With that he turned and walked towards the stairs that led to the cells above. 

I watched him shuffle away and cursed myself for wasting my freedom. Why did I let Trevor convince me to do stupid shit and get thrown out of college? Why did I take that briefcase of drugs? Why did I ever think that I could get away with being a fraud? Why didn’t I take the time to learn some form of defence? I might not have envisaged this as my future but I’m sure it would have come in handy sometime. I’ve definitely been on the losing side of a fight before and should have taken Harvey up on his offer to go boxing with him. I bet if Harvey were in my shoes he would just find the one at the top of the hierarchy and beat him to a pulp. 

Pulling myself out of my internal ramblings I took the time to take in my surroundings. From where I was standing I could see some of the others who were on the same bus as me. I didn’t know their names but two were lucky and seemed to have the same cell. The third must have already served time here or had connections because he was joking and laughing with some of the other inmates. I originally ignored the tear drop tattoos I saw on his face on the bus but maybe that was the first indication of my new neighbours. I couldn’t find the sixth person who came in with us, maybe he had gone to the shower or was still in his cell. 

The layout of the unit wasn’t that bad and the shared area was open, leaving nothing to hide, which I was grateful for. Running down the centre of the unit were two rows of five tables, with four chairs connected to each. There was mesh from the upstairs railing to the ceiling, an attempt to prevent suicide. Although, I doubt the height would kill you, a person might break their legs or spine and I think that would just make their time here even worse. At one end there was an observation box that was raised by a couple of steps and looked like it had a few screens for CCTV. On the other side of the unit there was only one door. I knew there was another door on the other side of it with a small corridor connecting them. When we came in last night it was a security door that wouldn’t allow you to open one without the other being closed first. From the gap between the two doors, I guessed that we weren’t all allowed to leave at once because it looked like it would only hold half of us comfortably.

“Cell count!” a guard shouted and at that everyone moved back to their cells. We all waited in silence for them to come round and give a click for each of us until they were again satisfied that no one had escaped in the hour since the first count.

“Left side first” the same guard shouted, that caused grumbles to erupt from those on the right.  
“They’ve gone first for two days now” someone argued.

“Another word inmate Lopez and I will do a cell toss. If you happen to then all miss breakfast, well that will just be a happy coincidence.” 

When no one said anything else, he motioned for us to go and I followed the single file march towards the canteen. As I went, I tried to memorise the route and the various blank spots but there was too much to take in for me to see it all. 

\---

The canteen was large with row after row of tables and benches attached to the ground. I watched as those in front of me picked up a plastic tray and as I got closer I did the same. Sliding it along I looked ahead and saw that the only options were oatmeal or scrambled eggs on toast. From the colouring of the egg I wasn’t sure how fresh they were. 

When it was my turn to be served I quickly held my tray out like I had seen and asked for the oatmeal. I couldn’t help but grimace when it slopped around on the tray. I moved along, not wanting to hold up the line and accepted the carton of orange juice from the other man who was serving us. 

I turned around and saw that everyone was sitting in groups and not wanting to choose the wrong seat I went to an empty table and sat at the end of it. 

I expected the food to be bland, so I prepared myself for the worst. As I took my first mouthful however, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t that bad. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely a top contender for the worst breakfast ever but at least it tasted like oatmeal. 

I focused on eating rather than the buzz of the prison around me. A stupid part of me wanted to be a bit more confident and look around at what was happening so that I could have a better understanding of this place. My more sensible side made me keep my head down because I was not ready for eye contact with someone who would use that as an excuse to talk to me.

At the sound of a tray scraping across the table I flicked my eyes but not my head up. Two people sat down in front of me and I saw that it was the two who had come in with me and were now sharing a cell. They smiled warily at me and I smiled back, in that small acknowledgment I felt like we had created a mini understanding between us.

“I’m Kevin” the one with longish brown hair said. He was about my height and wore thick rimmed glasses.

“My names Stu” the other one said, he was a large guy and had a scar running down the right side of his face. He spoke slightly slower than Kevin, as if it were harder for him to get his words out.

“I’m Mike” I smiled at them.

“Nice to meet you Mike, we thought that we might as well stick together. Until we find our feet at least” Kevin shrugged while pushing his food around on his tray.

We ate in a comfortable silence and I was able to finish most of my food and drink before a bell rang, signalling the end of breakfast. I expected everyone to leave immediately but instead they sat as if waiting for something. 

“Inmates 25731, 32960, 26890, 34791, 38012 and 24829 to stay behind” was shouted across the canteen. 

On hearing my number, I stayed where I was and saw Kevin and Stu do the same. As the rest of the inmates filed out I took the chance to see that they had all piled their trays near where we collected them and noticed that some were leaving out of a different door from the one we used to get in.

“Inmates, get your lazy arses here now” one of the officers shouted, he was fairly well built, not as large as Stu but he definitely worked out. He was pretty average looking with short brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee beard that he obviously groomed within an inch of its life. 

As he called us to him you could definitely tell who was a first timer because I seemed to jump at his command and so did Kevin. Stu was a little slower but he seemed to be a little slow with most of his actions so I didn’t take much notice of that. Gareth reached the officer after us but he still beat the other two prisoners. They casually strolled over from the same table and clearly knew each other as they shared an inside joke and laughed. They both looked like they were Latino or Latino descent at the very least and seemed to not care that the officer was waiting. 

When they finally stopped just behind me the officer quickly dismissed them by telling them that they were to continue the same job they had before and they were swiftly taken away by another guard. Gareth also went with them because he was going to be working with them.

“I’m Officer Patreli and the Warden told me that he didn’t give you a proper welcome due to the delay it took in getting you here. You will be working from eight until twelve, you break for half hour and then work until three. I don’t want any whinging about not liking your job or even about not liking who you work with. This is prison, you’re not supposed to like it and maybe that way you will stay out. You get time on the yard until four at which point it’s back in your cells until supper at five, you get half an hour for that. The remaining half hour is usually used for calls and checking mail. Are any of you religious nuts? Likely to lose your anger? A dirty addict?” we all stayed silent and then he carried on “well if you are, you have those waste of money programmes that help deal with all that bullshit from six until eight. From then you remain in your unit until eleven, which is when you must return to your cell for lights out. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we have non-contact visitation. Do you all understand?”

I nodded my head in understanding and I felt more than saw Kevin do the same. I assumed Stu hadn’t done anything because the officer started to snap in front of Stu’s face and said “is anyone home? Please tell me you don’t have some sort of mental issue.” My heart went out to Stu and I wished that I could do something for him. Thankfully the sound of a door opening pulled Patreli’s attention and he smiled at the other guard who walked in. 

“This is Officer Reed and he will be escorting two of you to your new jobs while I take the other. 26890 and 32960 go with Officer Reed and 25731 come with me.”

Just as Stu and I turned to walk away he stopped us, “oh and one more thing inmates. Welcome to Hatfield Correctional Facility, I hope your stay is long and a living nightmare.” He wore a sadistic smile as he said it and then started to whistle a tune I didn’t recognise as he motioned for Kevin to follow him.

“Don’t mind him” I heard Officer Reed say from next to us “let’s get you two to your work station so that you can get through your induction” he continued. 

We followed him in silence towards one of the exits and after a fairly short walk down a few corridors and through some doors we ended up outside. Instinctively I took in a deep breath of fresh air, suddenly realising just how stuffy it actually felt being cooped up inside the unit. 

Although we were outside I noticed that we were effectively in a massive cage, making us look like the animals’ society labelled us as. There were twenty men working across a space that was about 50 yards by 20. Some were digging, others planting and a few looked like they were doing repairs on one of the sheds.

“Officer Jones, this is Ross and Williamson, Ross and Williamson, this is Officer Jones.” The way Officer Reed introduced us was like he expected us to all shake hands.

“You’re a little late.”

“They were with Patreli” at that the two officers seemed to share a look of understanding. Officer Reed then turned and walked back the way we had come. 

“Here we grow food for the kitchens and also to sell depending on how much we manage to produce. All tools must be signed out and signed back in, if something goes missing we don’t leave until it reappears. We have some seeds that need to be planted so one of you dig and the other plant, I don’t care which does which.”

A bag of seeds where dumped in my hand but he began to walk away without telling us anything more. Just as I was about to ask, another prisoner seemed to pop up from nowhere and pull us in a different direction.

“…so once that row is done, put some more there” he had spoken so fast and it was almost like he had mumbled it because I had missed everything and by the look on Stu’s face so had he.

“Sorry, would you mind repeating that?” I asked, I tried to look as pathetic as possible so he would feel sorry for me instead of getting angry. 

“My bad, these lot are always telling me how fast I speak. I’m Doug and it’s my job to make sure we keep this garden functioning and all tools remain where they should. If you need a tool, then just ask one of the guards who will watch you sign it out. I want these seeds planted in two rows along the complete length, starting at the far end.” 

I followed his arm with my eyes and saw the area he wanted us to start working in. 

“Come on big guy, let’s go and get you the tools” Doug laughed while patting Stu on the back, I watched them walk towards one of the sheds before making off to my designated area. As I knelt down on the grass I couldn’t help but smile because this is something I could definitely do. 

I remembered time spent in the garden when I was a child with my dad and him teaching me how to grow plants. I remembered the feeling of accomplishment I used to get when I saw something I had planted start to grow and live. I picked up a handful of soil and rubbed it between my hands, if this was going to be the work I had to do then I could definitely put up with it.

When Stu finally came back I saw two trowels in his hand and he placed them both down next to him. “I don’t mind doing all the digging if you want” he offered but the way he said it sounded like he thought it was expected of him to always do the slightly harder job.

“It’s alright, we can both do it” I smiled as I reached for a trowel “besides, if we keep the bag between us and work opposite each other, we can finish in double the time.”

“You sure?” he asked as if he didn’t really trust me.

“Dude, it’s fine” I laughed “you shouldn’t always expect people to want to use you” I said more to myself than him but by his shrug he obviously heard.

“I’m used to it, being the size I am people expect me to do all the heavy work.”

“What if you told them no?”

“People get angry and I don’t like that” when he said it he sounded more like a child and his slowed speech was leading me to believe he had some form of mental impairment. That couldn’t be right though because surely they wouldn’t put someone vulnerable like that in a place like this. This didn’t exactly seem like the most supportive environment and a part of me started to worry for Stu. Clearly he had the muscle mass to take on anyone in here but that was pointless if someone was able to exploit his vulnerability. 

“I doubt it will mean much but you can say no to me whenever you like and I promise I will never get angry” I told him sincerely.

“Really?” I knew he was unsure so I nodded in my affirmation. 

“So, should we start then?” I asked Stu while moving far enough away to start the second row.  
He looked at me with a mock-serious look on his face before telling me no. I couldn’t help but laugh and shortly after he joined in before we both got to work digging and planting. 

\---

Once it reached three a bell rang and we had to put all tools away before lining up. In silence we were led from our cage and through a maze until we reached another larger cage. We weren’t the only ones being brought here and from the various benches and the basketball court, this was clearly the yard. 

Stu motioned to a more shaded area of the yard so I followed and sat down on the grass next to him. Shortly after a shadow fell over us and I instantly tensed, not sure who it was but I soon relaxed when I saw it was just Kevin. He sat in front of us but angled his body so that he was also facing the rest of the yard.

“Do you think it’s always like this?” Kevin asked while looking at the various groups.

“How do you mean?” 

“Peaceful…well, as peaceful as prison can get” he answered. 

“We can only hope” I replied with a slight shrug. 

I looked at the other prisoners and I was finally able to see what Gareth had been talking about. The groups seemed to primarily be divided by race but there were a couple of groups that were made up of various races. 

The basketball court was quickly full of grunts and shouts from those playing. The same could be said for those who were exercising with the weights. As I continued to look I noticed Gareth was talking to the same man who had blown me a kiss earlier and he was staring directly at me.

“Do either of you know the guy Gareth is talking to?” I asked Stu and Kevin.

“That’s Al” Kevin mumbled, as if he didn’t want to talk about him. In all honesty, now that my suspicions had been confirmed, neither did I.

“You two smell” Kevin blurted as he pulled a face. I could see it was an attempt to move the conversation to a safer topic before I asked more about Al. 

“We worked hard” Stu informed him “what were you doing?”

“I got to work in the library, making sure the books are in order. That sort of thing.”

“You’ve spent all day doing that?” I asked out of disbelief. 

“Ye, got a bit bored if I’m honest. What did you lot do anyway?”

“It involved a lot of digging and planting” Stu grumbled.

“I thought it was okay” I told Kevin.

“You would, you look like the outdoorsy type.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I bet you like camping and being outside. I would put money on it that you walked everywhere.”

I couldn’t argue with him there; I did like being outside. Camping when I was younger was the best thing ever, it’s just that as I got older I had less time to do it or people to go with. 

“I didn’t walk, I cycled” I said as if it made much difference but Kevin seemed to like it because he began to laugh. 

The rest of the time in the yard was spent with us talking, we were mainly talking to pass the time and so nothing of significance was said. 

\---

By the time it was four o’clock I was relieved to finally be able to get out of the sun and relax in the safety of my cell. However, before we were escorted back to our unit we were told that those who had worked the gardens were allowed fifteen minutes to shower. It wasn’t until we actually started to file out that I realised not everyone had come from the same unit as us because half of the men went with the other guard and took a different exit.

Once I got back to my cell I noticed that a towel and a bar of soap had been placed on top of a clean jumpsuit on my bunk. I picked them up and walked outside in time to hear “cell count” being shouted. 

As I waited for Officer Reed to count us in I looked over and saw that Stu was also holding the same bundle I found on my bunk. The guards quickly finished the count and then let us go so I followed the few who were also working in the garden towards the shower. 

Although I was happy to have avoided this place until I knew more about how violent it was, I knew that wasn’t an option now that I smelt as bad as I did. Despite my reservations though, having Stu near me made me feel safer because I at least had him on my side. 

The showers were nothing like I expected. They were open with small shower heads coming out of the walls on both sides, we had to place our clean jumpsuit on a bench and then put our dirty one in a hamper basket. 

Modesty was something that we couldn’t have but I had lost that the moment I was checked for contraband when I first entered the prison. The feel of the hot water beating down relaxed me instantly. Some of the men were talking as they showered but other than that everyone seemed to keep to themselves. 

I knew we only had fifteen minutes so I was conscious of time. I made sure to wash all the dirt off and then rinsed under the hot water. I shut the water off and picked up a towel, drying myself as I went to where the clean jumpsuits were. 

As I walked I made sure to keep my eyes firmly on the floor before anyone thought I was looking at them. As I pulled my jumpsuit a fresh pair of boxers fell out and I was able to grab them before they fell on the ground. It didn’t take long to get dressed and I noticed Stu was nearly finished so I slowed my movements. I was able to finish at the same time as Stu and we returned to the unit together. 

Once locked back in my cell waiting to be called for our evening meal I began to think about how surprisingly calm everything had been so far. I honestly thought that by now I would have seen a number of murders and probably already be in the hospital ward. 

I didn’t want to count my chickens before they had hatched but if it remained like this, then I think I might be able to cope with being locked up. I wasn’t sure if last night was how the prisoners usually acted or if it was only because they had new inmates and wanted to scare them. On the other hand, maybe this prison wasn’t as calm as I thought, and this was the calm before the storm. I just hoped that I wasn’t one of the ones caught up in the storm when it finally hit. 

When the cells unlocked at five we had another cell count before leaving for dinner. I collected my spaghetti Bolognese and managed to keep my face impartial when I saw how watery it was. However, watery food was better than no food. Looking around the canteen I saw Kevin and Stu and went to join them.

“Do you want your jelly?” Kevin asked me hopefully as I sat down.

“Yes, I’m more than looking forward to it.”

“Well I’m sure Stu will give me his, won’t you Stu?”

I turned to Stu to see him looking from the jelly to me and then to Kevin before saying “no” as if he were afraid of Kevin’s reaction. I suspected he expected him to explode but instead he just groaned in annoyance.

“You two are just being mean, I would give you mine” Kevin argued.

“Okay, give me yours then” I challenged with a smile.

“By that I meant I would give you mine when I didn’t want it” he joked back.

“I’m sure if you asked nice enough the cook would give you another one” Stu laughed.

“Ye and I bet that’s not all he would want to give me” he replied “besides, I don’t think I want another one if it tastes as bad as this does” he continued, chewing his jelly.

“That bad?” Stu asked him.

“Stu. I’m having to chew, that’s the level we are at now. Chewable jelly.”

“Why are you eating it first anyway?” I found myself saying.

“I’ve watched tons of documentaries on this stuff and I know that you always have to eat the best first so that no one can steal it” he whispered while leaning forward, almost as if someone was going to jump out and steal his food. 

Stu lent forward to match him and whispered “what? Like this?” before quickly snatching up the jelly pot from my tray.

“Hey! That’s mine” I laughed with a fake whine “can I please have it back?” I asked Stu nicely.

“Nope” he smiled. 

“That’s not fair” I pouted.

“You did tell me to say ‘no’ more often” he reminded me and there was a childish quality to the way he said it. I couldn’t help but stick my tongue out at him and we all dissolved into laughter again. 

Finally, he placed the pot back down on my tray and I realised that when it was just us three talking together, I completely forgot about where we were. I didn’t feel like I was only two days into a ridiculously long sentence or like I had people betting on when I would break. 

“Are either of you going to be using the phones tonight?” Kevin suddenly asked. In all honesty I hadn’t thought about it until that moment. 

I knew that we only got one call each and I didn’t know whether to call Grammy or Harvey. I wanted to assure Grammy that I was fine and everything would work out but I was going to be seeing her soon so she could see for herself. I knew that if I heard her voice I would probably breakdown and I really didn’t want to do that in front of the other inmates. 

Despite that though, I didn’t want to make her feel like I was favouring someone else over her. I wanted to speak to Grammy but I needed to speak to Harvey. I had to ask him why he walked out the way he did and why Judge Carmen seemed to hate him, and by proxy me, so much. I had questions that only he could answer. More than anything I needed him to tell me it would all be okay. 

“Nah” Stu mumbled, it was clear there was a story there but neither of us were going to probe him about it. 

I nodded that I was going to make a call and that’s all we said on that matter for the rest of dinner.

\---

Back in our unit I stood in line for the phones and when it finally got to me I dialled Harvey’s number. When I was prompted I stated my name and then waited for it to connect me to him. 

After a while I heard a click and then an automated voice said “unfortunately the person you are trying to contact has refused your call.” My heart froze and I could feel tears begin to well up but I refused to cry. 

I didn’t want to believe that he had refused my call so I tried to phone again but I was stopped by Patreli. It took everything I had in me not to slam the phone against the wall out of anger but I knew that would just get me into trouble. 

“Ross, get out of line. One call only” he sighed at me, as I walked past him he carried on talking to me, “you have a court appointed lawyer coming tomorrow, something about an appeal, so make sure you’re ready.” 

I nodded as if I even knew what he was talking about and went back to my cell. Harvey clearly wanted nothing more to do with me, he was cutting the strings before it was too late. I expected him to cut me off eventually, why would he want a convict around anyway? 

When he walked out of that courtroom I knew this was coming, I had just been naïve when I hoped that his actions were a result of shock. I should have prepared myself better, people walking out of my life was something I was used to, why should the great Harvey Specter be any different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :)


	3. Chapter 3

*Two Weeks Later*

I woke earlier than necessary and was glad at how quite the unit still was. Although I had only spent two weeks in this place, I had noticed that the other inmates didn’t make anywhere near the sort of catcalls they did on my first night. The way they shouted on that first night had worked in terrifying me but maybe that was the sole aim. The fact that they now stayed near silent at night comforted me. If I remained out of the way and hidden, then making it out in one piece was a very real possibility. Everyone seemed more concerned with remaining within their own groups and staying fit than constantly fighting. From various conversations I had overheard, there even seemed to be a few people who wanted to have sex with the other inmates and so rape wasn’t something I had ever heard or witnessed. For that I was very thankful indeed. 

I was meant to have met with my lawyer two weeks ago but apparently whoever it was kept facing problems whenever they tried to visit. At first I was informed that they would be unable to visit due to an emergency. Then they had car troubles so couldn’t make it. After that I was told they had failed security checks and another time I was told that I wasn’t authorised for visitors. If I was someone who believed in conspiracies I would say that someone was trying very hard to keep me from ever meeting this lawyer. No one in here seemed to care much about that fact and the guards told me to stop asking and wait for when I was called. When I looked more into it, none of the guards even knew for sure whether it was a court appointed lawyer or if someone had hired them. Grammy never mentioned anything about it so I never brought it up with her. I knew that if she was the one who had hired someone, she would have told me. I didn’t want to mention it and have her get her hopes up about an appeal, so I kept it to myself when we spoke.

This whole prison seemed to have serious issues when it came to administration. When I thought Grammy was going to visit for the first time, I was informed that they had yet to approve her and so she had to wait. When I told her over the phone that we would just have to stick with calls every few days until they sorted the mess out, I could feel her disappointment through the phone. That made me feel even worse. At her age she shouldn’t have to worry about being able to visit her only grandson in prison. I should be out working and making sure she was relaxed and cared for. When I was younger I had planned to look after her the way she had looked after me. Instead the only thing I had managed to achieve was letting her down. 

My time was spent either with Kevin and Stu or in the library. Although I had already studied the various sentencing laws, I thought I would look over them again in the law section of the library. I wanted to be prepared for when the lawyer eventually came. If she was ever allowed in. Even though I already knew it all, it gave me something to do and a good way to avoid having to think about anything else. According to my research, long as I was able to stay out of trouble I would probably be out after three years and maybe earlier if there was overcrowding. That’s assuming an appeal against the harsher sentence was rejected. I didn’t want to even think about the sentence I could be given if my appeal goes through because I knew I would be crushed if it didn’t work out.

Thinking about getting out of here only made my mind wander to thoughts of Harvey. In an ironic way this whole situation made me laugh. He spent so much time telling me to cut Trevor out of my life and blaming him for everything bad I had done. Yet it was Harvey who caused me to be in this current position. Harvey was the one who didn’t even have the guts to tell me what caused Judge Carmen to give me a harsher punishment. Knowing Harvey’s ego, it was probably something stupid that a simple apology could have fixed. While I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for breaking the law in the first place, I could without a shadow of doubt call Harvey a hypocrite. 

The more I thought about it, the angrier I found myself getting. I turned over in frustration and wished I could just fall back into a dreamless sleep. As I settled further down under the scratchy blanket the sound of the morning bell and my door opening rang around the cell. I couldn’t stop the groan that escaped as I was forced to get up and out. 

After the tedious affair of waiting for cell count and waiting for when we could go for lunch, I shuffled along to the canteen in line with half of my unit. It didn’t take long for me to collect breakfast and locate Stu who was already eating. Placing my tray on the table, I quickly scanned the room. I was looking for Kevin but I made sure to not look at anyone in particular. As I finished my sweep, I realised that Kevin wasn’t here at all.

“Where’s Kevin?” I asked Stu, while sitting down on the cold seat. 

He looked at me as he drank his water and shrugged. Then he said “about ten minutes before the count, he was taken, something to do with a lawyer.”

I considered what Stu had said and then shrugged it off too, he probably either forgot to tell us or didn’t want to. Either way, it wasn’t any of my business so I carried on eating my food. After all, I never told either of them about the various times I was supposed to meet with mine.

After a while, I realised that without Kevin sitting here talking our ears off it was oddly quite. I didn’t notice how much he seemed to fill the silence with his inane chatter. 

“Do you think there is something strange about Patreli?” Stu suddenly asked me.

“Other than him being a massive dick?”

“I’m being serious” he sighed, placing his spoon down, “I think he is bad” he whispered.

For a split second Stu actually appeared scared of him, “did he take Kevin this morning?”

“No, Reed did but something seems off about Patreli.”

I knew that he always worked morning shifts during the week but as I looked round he was nowhere in sight. I looked again to make sure because I had never not seen him lurking in some corner or another when we ate breakfast. An odd unsettling feeling settled in my stomach as I confirmed to myself that he wasn’t there.

“What do you think he has been doing?” I asked Stu, I could feel myself leaning across the table.

Just as he was about to answer, movement caught his eye and he seemed to close off completely. I followed where he was looking and saw Patreli walking into the canteen. 

“Forget about it” Stu mumbled.

“Tell me” I pushed gently.

“I said forget about it” Stu spat. He then picked up his spoon and continued to eat his breakfast in silence. 

I nodded slightly and began to eat my food until the guards signalled the end of breakfast. Just as I went to stand a hand clamped on my shoulder and dragged me to my feet. I was spun round and I thought I was going to be faced with a fist but instead it was Patreli.

“Your lawyer is here, let’s go” he said while pushing me in the direction of one of the exits. 

I didn’t even comment, I was in a semi-state of shock. With the way this prison was going, I didn’t think I would ever get to meet my lawyer. Plus, the way he grabbed me didn’t make me feel like I could trust him. He led me down a few corridors and waited until we were alone before speaking, “how are you finding it here?”

“It’s not that bad” I shrugged.

“Prison is too easy if you ask me, it should be worse than your worst nightmare.”

I had no idea why he was telling me this, last time I checked, no one had asked him and I definitely couldn’t give a shit what he thought of it here.

“You inmates forget your place; you think you run this joint but you don’t. This is my playground so my rules and if I see fit, I will make sure you remember that” he carried on.

At that point I began to question his sanity because he seemed to have a serious complex going on. I felt like he thought he was warning me to be careful because he was so big and scary. When in reality he just looked like an idiot but I still nodded along to what he said. Maybe he had given Stu a similar talk and that was why he was wary of him, almost frightful. 

“A letter arrived for you” he told me.

“When?”

“About four days ago, it was all very sweet and sentimental” he laughed.

“Why don’t I already have it then?” I could feel myself getting angry at the fact he was withholding stuff that was rightfully mine.

“Because I need to make sure that all the new inmates understand how it works here.”

“You have no right” I told him.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because he grabbed the front of my jumpsuit and used it to push me hard against the wall. 

“I have all the right in the world so you better remember that. Have I made myself clear?” he snarled in my face.

I remained silent and just stared at him so he pulled me towards him again and slammed me back against the wall, “answer me.”

“Crystal” I said, if this were another inmate, I would probably be shitting myself. Instead I was fuming, he was in a position of responsibility and was abusing it for his own gain and that made me angry. I also knew that if an inmate had slammed me against a wall, I would probably be in a lot more pain. Rather than pain, I just felt annoyed. 

“Can I see my lawyer now?” I asked him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and then let go of me. As he continued to walk I followed in silence and thought back to the way Stu had appeared when he spoke about Patreli. Stu was a gentle giant and hated when people so much as raised their voice, let alone if someone hit him. If this was how he had treated Stu, then I could understand his earlier behaviour.

\- -

When we finally arrived at the interview room I was shackled around the ankles before being allowed in. Once in the room, he then cuffed my wrists to the top of the table so that I wouldn’t be able to attack anyone. As if I would. Funnily enough, getting in more trouble was not at the top of my priorities. 

While he did that, I took the time to take in the appearance of my lawyer. She had a bottle blonde pixie cut, her green eyes were rather large and while alone it wasn’t that attractive, on her face it gave her a slight innocence. She had a very youthful face and for a split second I questioned whether she was old enough to be of any use. At that point I had to mentally kick myself because I suddenly realised that this was how people must have viewed me when I was in her seat. I had to stop myself from smiling when I took in her casual clothes because this woman looked almost like the female version of me. 

“I demand those cuffs are taken off my client” she immediately said.

“No can do” Patreli shrugged “this is prison, not a date. He won’t be needing those hands” he continued.

If looks could kill, then he would be stone cold dead on the floor. I was beginning to like this woman, she seemed like a little firecracker when she didn’t get her own way. The fact she looked ready to take on Patreli was just an added bonus. I saw her open her mouth, as if to protest further but he cut her off by snapping, “look woman, those cuffs stay on so deal with it.”

As he finished speaking she gave me a searching look, after a few moments she shrugged it off and waved him out. He didn’t seem to like that but there was little he could actually do about it so he left with a grunt.

“My name is Olivia Collins and I will be your lawyer…if you want?” she started out strong and then ended as if it were a question. 

I smiled slightly before asking “who hired you?”

“No one, I work for a not-for-profit organisation. We are all legally qualified and work on cases we feel involve some sort of miscarriage of justice.”

I was impressed at the fact people were dedicating themselves to doing something so selfless. Maybe I should have done something like that instead of becoming a shark. “What’s the organisation called?”

“Contra Legem” she said proudly. In all honesty, it was a good name for an organisation dealing with miscarriages of justice. 

“Please tell me you have a motto” I laughed.

“Not really a motto but we do have a quote hanging in our office. It is sort of our unofficial motto” she smiled, she almost looked shy about it. 

“Don’t leave me in suspense” I joked.

“’There is a higher court than the courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts’”

“I think I just got chills” I said in a mock-serious voice. I went to place my hand over my chest but the chains stopped me and just like that I crashed back down to reality. She was here to talk to me about my sentence, not joke about where she worked.

“How did you even hear about my case? You sound like you would worry about more serious cases, like murder” I asked her.

“I had seen your case on the news briefly and if I am honest I forgot about it but on the day you got sentenced I was handed a box from a stranger. I asked them who sent it but they told me they had just been paid to give me a box and didn’t know who had sent it. At first I thought it was going to be something gruesome, like a head or something but obviously I was wrong. Inside was all the documents I could need to see that you had been given an unfair sentence for what you have done. The next day I arranged to meet you but as you know, I have been unable to do so for a week.”

“All sounds a bit hush hush to me” I laughed.

“You weren’t the one handed a mysterious box. You have a guardian angel looking out for you, one that obviously cares a lot about you” she smiled sincerely. 

The only person I could think of who would do something like this didn’t even want to speak to me so I highly doubt he was going out of his way to help me. Maybe it was Rachel or Donna. They certainly had the resources and I did always suspect Donna of being part spy, part mafia. 

“We don’t have much time” Olivia sighed, pulling me away from my thoughts, “we should start with you telling me what you think caused the sentence.”

I toyed with the best way to answer her before finally settling on “I think Judge Carmen is biased. Rumour has it, he has it in for Harvey Specter and because he can’t get him, he got me.”

“I can work the biased angle; it would certainly make sense as to why you got such a harsh sentence” she nodded as she made notes.

“I should have got a year, two max and a fine. Even with a prison sentence, it should have been a minimum security place, not here.”

“I know” she agreed “and that’s what makes this case even stranger” she continued more to herself.

“Do you think you being stopped from seeing me for so long has anything to do with it?” I asked her.

“It could but I feel it was more a combination of the guards not wanting to help and my own bad luck.”

After that little warning Patreli felt necessary to give me, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the reason it took so long for Olivia to be allowed in. Of all the prison stereotypes to present itself to me first, I didn’t think corrupt guards would be the first. 

We spent a further twenty minutes going over the ins and outs of my case. I impressed her with the amount I had learnt about the laws surrounding sentencing and she made pages of notes. Speaking to her reminded me how much I enjoyed law and I found myself regretting my life choices for about the millionth time. She seemed sympathetic to my cause and kept assuring me that she would work hard on the appeal. The only thing she didn’t tell me was whether or not she thought it would actually succeed. 

The door opened with a loud bang as it hit the wall and signalled the end of our meeting. Patreli seemed to take great joy from being able to tell Olivia that she had to leave. I suspect he would have loved to throw in a few swearwords because he did nothing to mask his dislike of her. 

“I will arrange for us to meet very soon” she promised as she stood.

“What are my chances of this working?” I asked before she left.

“I can’t say right now but I am feeling very positive” she smiled warmly before leaving the room.

Patreli walked over to me and began to release my hands and then he took my shackles off. Once he was finished he pulled me to my feet. 

“Look lively Ross, you have work to get back to” he said as we walked out “and if you’re a good boy, you might even get that letter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per, I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

As we walked to the garden area I could feel Patreli’s eyes boring into the back of my head. Half of me was waiting for him to talk some more about how he runs this place. Maybe even threaten me with the letter he seems to be holding hostage. Surprisingly he said nothing, except the odd grunt when he passed another officer. 

I could finally see the outside and was grateful that I didn’t have to continue walking these suffocating corridors with Patreli breathing down my neck. The moment I was free from him I went straight to Doug to see what he needed me to do.

“What took you so long Ross?” Doug asked the moment I reached him.

“Patreli” I said, as if that were explanation enough.

“He really grinds my gears at times. Someone needs to take him down a few pegs.”

“I would pay to see that” I muttered “but forget him, tell me what I need to do before I get written up for not working.” 

“Can you start pulling some of the carrots and plant new seeds?” Doug asked me.

I nodded and quickly went to work on the carrots. It was a job that wouldn’t take me long but I made sure to drag it out. I knew how much of a slave driver Doug was and I was not in the mood to break my back doing all of this bending. 

Even with taking my time, there was only so long you could drag out the task of pulling carrots and planting more seeds. However, before I had the chance to move, a hand was placed heavily on my shoulder and the force nearly drove my chest down in the soil. 

“Mike, I need you to help me.”

I looked up and saw Stu smiling down at me. When he finally took his hand off of my shoulder I got to my feet and subtly rubbed where his hand had been. 

“Sure but maybe you could be a little gentler. I’m only a small man” I joked good naturedly.

“Sorry about that” he threw over his shoulder while walking away. I made sure to keep up and we ended up towards the end of the garden area.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Doug said I have to finish the repairs on the side of the shed and also move all of this soil. There is no way I have enough time.” From the look on his face, I could see he was worried about getting into trouble. Although I doubted that Doug would do anything but moan, Stu seemed to take that sort of thing personally and him getting upset wasn’t something I wanted to happen. 

“No problem” I told him as I took in the work that needed to be done on the shed and the various tools at my disposal. 

After what felt like hours working on this shed I had basically finished. I just had one more nail to hammer into the bottom panel and then I could go and sign the tools back in with the officer. Once it was nailed in, I went to stand up and I placed my hand down on the soil for leverage. Neither Stu or I were paying attention because the next thing I knew my left hand was hit by something sharp. I looked down at it and saw blood coming out of the top of my hand and some blood on the end of the spade in Stu’s hand. The adrenaline must have kicked in because I didn’t feel any pain but from the look of my injury I should definitely be in a lot of it.

“I am so sorry” Stu rushed while dragging me to my feet by my armpit. In that moment I was again reminded of his sheer strength because he was able to haul my weight with just one hand. Not that I was claiming to be a particularly heavy man, it was just strange to be pulled like that. It made me feel a little bit like a toddler. 

I wanted to acknowledge his apology but the sight of my blooded hand had sent me into a state of shock. The sight of blood always did make me feel slightly queasy, let alone if it was my own. I looked around for some form of help and saw Officer Reed walking towards us, speaking into his walkie talkie. “What’s happened here?” he asked, taking in the scene once he had reached us. 

“I wasn’t looking, I didn’t mean to do it; I didn’t see his hand until it was too late” Stu rambled, he looked on the verge of tears. If I wasn’t still wondering how the hell this happened, I would have comforted him more.

“Come on” Officer Reed said to me “I’ll take you to the medic and get that hand seen to” he smiled slightly while leading me out of the garden. The small commotion had allowed everyone else the chance to break but that was over the moment we had left and the shout of “get back to work” was heard.

While I followed Reed through the various corridors, the adrenaline started to fade. My once numbed hand began to get more painful with each step. It began with a dull ache, then a throb until it was eventually too painful to even move it. Looking at it in its current state, I couldn’t tell how bad it really was and pain was never a real indicator of level of injury. After all, I couldn’t count the amount of times I had got a paper cut that felt more like someone had sliced my finger off. That just confirmed why I couldn’t trust my own nociceptors. 

The medic centre seemed to be located more centrally to the whole prison and was definitely further than I had been taken so far. The room had large glass windows so that you could see inside when walking past and inside there was a female working at a desk. Officer Reed didn’t bother knocking and as we entered the woman stood up to greet us. It was only once I was in the room that I noticed a guard sitting in the corner of the room. 

“Who do we have here then?” the woman asked Reed.

“This is inmate 26890, he injured himself while working in the gardens” he replied sharply and to the point. 

“I had a run in with a spade, the spade won” I tried to joke but I suspected the wince of pain meant it didn’t come across successfully. Also the icy glare I received from the woman made me think that she might not appreciate me speaking. 

She patted the bed and as I climbed on she went over to a cabinet and pulled out a first aid box and brought it back to the bed. Carefully she picked up my hand and examined the wound. I followed her line of sight and watched as she cleaned it off with an antiseptic wipe. It was then that I could see for myself the damage the spade had done. It had caught me right across the top of my hand and so there was a long gash running the width of it. The area between my thumb and index finger seemed to have a fairly deep cut and it was where most of the blood was coming from. 

“Radio when you want me to pick him up” Reed said as he turned to leave.

“You might as well stay, it won’t take too long to patch up. There doesn’t seem to be any broken bones but I will do a quick x-ray to be sure” she told him. “Are you allergic to anything?” she continued, finally addressing me.

“Not that I’m aware of” I muttered, still staring at my hand. 

“Do you consent to having a local anaesthetic? By the looks of it, you are going to need a couple of stiches.”

I nodded my consent and when she saw she quickly pulled a needle and bottle out of the box she brought over. Drawing the correct amount from the bottle, she then injected it into the wound and I knew the moment it kicked in because I was no longer having to wince in pain.

Next came the x-ray and thankfully I didn’t have to go far for it, within the room we were in was another door that she led me through. Inside the adjoining room was a table, big enough to fit a fully grown man on it. On top of the table was a black mat that I had seen used when taking x-rays. The large machine was connected to the table and hung over it on a moveable arm. I looked at it warily, it looked fairly old, almost as if the slightest movement would cause the arm to snap off. Carefully I laid down on the table at her request and she adjusted the arm of the machine so that it was in the correct position. She moved my hand slightly and thanks to the earlier anaesthetic I was unable to feel it because from the way she had pulled at it, I could only guess that it would have hurt like a bitch. 

“I’m just going to stand outside while I take the x-ray. Please keep still” she informed me coldly. It was almost as if me being here offended her entire being. 

Just before she left, I saw her take a device off the wall, that had a cord coming from it and into the wall. She pulled it outside with her and then clicked it three times.

“You can come back in here” she shouted through the wall, not even bothering to help me get up or to ensure that I didn’t break the stupid machine. Maybe if the machine did break and fall on me, I could sue and she would lose her job. I bet she would regret the way she treated me then. 

“What’s the verdict?” I asked once I was sat back on the bed in the main room.

“No broken bones, you seem to have a hairline fracture but that will heal on its own. I will just do a couple of stiches on the deeper cut and then bandage you up” she threw over her shoulder. I could see her intently examine the x-rays on the screen one more time before getting up and coming back to where I was. 

“You will be allowed some pain medication for your hand, you will need to take it three times a day from your unit officer” she informed me while scribbling something on her clipboard. “You won’t be able to do any heavy lifting for a while” she said, almost as an afterthought.

“How will I do my work?”

“They might move you to something else” she shrugged.

“I don’t want to be moved, I like it where I am.”

“I was merely making a suggestion and I think you have confused that for me caring or having any input in where you will be working.”

At that I felt my mouth snap shut and I just nodded in understanding. Clearly this prison found someone who they knew would treat everyone with disdain and ensure that no one ever felt like someone cared. I made sure to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the time with her and watched in silence as she sewed up part of my hand and then roughly bandaged it up.

\- - 

Eventually I was led from the medical centre and to the yard outside. When I got there I gave the yard a quick scan to see where Stu was and I spotted him sitting with Kevin. I was pleased to see that they had picked somewhere that was shaded because then I didn’t have to spend more time with the burning sun beating down on my neck. 

“A big birdie told me you fucked up your hand” Kevin laughed when he saw me.

“That’s what happens when you’re badass and always fighting” I joked while pretending to punch him with my good hand.

“Stu, for everyone’s sake, hold Mike Tyson back” Kevin laughed.

Stu started to laugh from beside me and I had to send him a mock-glare, immediately he held his hands up and pretend to take me seriously. 

“Be careful before I get bitey” I joked “and then you won’t be able to see your lawyer for a while” I continued.

“What?” it was clear from his face that he had no idea what I was talking about.

“Stu said you had to see your lawyer before cell count” I explained. I watched his reaction to what I had said and saw that various emotions seemed to flicker across his face. At first he was confused, then understanding and then a passive indifference. The one emotion I wasn’t sure about though was fear. I could have sworn that I saw it on his face but I had no clue what he could be afraid of. Maybe the lawyer gave him bad news and the fear was in relation to having to stay here longer.

“Oh that. He wanted to talk to me about my grounds for appeal” he mumbled while looking across the yard. 

The way he spoke made it sound like he was speaking from a script and not telling us the truth. If he wanted to keep what the lawyer said private, then I wasn’t about to start pushing him for information. Despite that, something didn’t feel right but one look at Stu made me doubt myself because he seemed to buy what Kevin was selling.

“Do you either of you know much about self-defence?” I asked them both, as a way to change the subject.

“I know how to hit someone hard enough that they stay down” offered Stu. I could see he meant well when he said it but I couldn’t help but laugh. Especially when I thought about the chances of me ever being able to hit someone that hard.

“Would you be able to teach me how to do something similar?” I asked nicely and even threw in a sweet smile. 

Kevin snorted from beside me before laughing “I don’t think you have the body mass to even knock a fly out.”

“I will have you know that I am stronger than I look” I argued “plus I’m a quick study.”

“Being a quick study is good for books and things like that. It won’t be much use when trying to train your body to be able to win a fight” he countered. 

“I love the faith you have in me.”

“I’m pretty sure a high-five would hurt your delicate wrists” Kevin carried on, laughing at my expense.

“You wound me. I am wounded” I cried, “literally” I smiled while holding my bandaged hand up.

“Ignore him” Stu chuckled “I will help you as best I can but not until you build some muscles.”

“I can do some sit-ups and all of that in my cell.”

“What about press-ups? Going to do those one-handed?” Kevin asked. I could see he thought he was being hilarious and I couldn’t help myself from laughing sarcastically. 

“I would but then I would be skipping arm day.”

“You’re so funny my sides hurt” Kevin deadpanned.

“Well I do try.” 

“The moment your hand has healed and you can start to workout, we can train” Stu told me.

“I will hold you to that” I informed Stu as I pushed him gently with my good hand. 

We spent the rest of the time on the yard watching the other inmates and keeping the conversation light. Some of the inmates were clearly dedicated to their exercise regime and their huge muscles were testament. While I had been lucky so far and not had to worry about anyone picking on me, I didn’t know how long that would last. I needed to make sure I was ready, or as ready as I could be and so this stupid hand would need to hurry up and heal. 

\---

Once we were back in the unit we had to wait in silence for another count to be taken. Thankfully it didn’t take long. Before I had the chance to see whether Stu or Kevin were going to any of the sessions being run tonight I was stopped by Patreli. I looked at him and saw he had an envelope in his hand. I felt hope flare through my chest at the prospect of finally getting a tangible part of home but I didn’t want him to see how much I wanted it. I had a feeling that the moment he saw how much it really meant to me, he would refuse to give it to me for another few days. 

“Congratulations Ross, you’ve earnt the right to your letter” Patreli said as he held the envelope out to me. 

As I went to take it he moved it out of reach and said “now remind me, who runs this place?”

“You do” I said through clenched teeth. Seemingly satisfied he held the envelope out again. 

I took the opened envelope from him and quickly returned to my cell before he had the chance to take it back. At first I thought it would be from Grammy but when I saw the handwriting on the front, there was no mistaking who it was from. Laying on my bunk I couldn’t decide whether to just rip it up now and be done with it or to actually see what pathetic excuse he would roll out now. I used my uninjured hand to pull the letter out of the envelope and read it.

Mike,

Please don’t rip this up until you have given me a chance and read it all first. I never meant to walk out of the courtroom today but it was the only way I could deal with how I am feeling. It’s my fault that you are in this mess and I am sorry for that.

As I heard your sentence, I finally realised how I felt and I knew it was too late to do anything about it. I couldn’t face you after that, there is so much I need to tell you and I know I owe you answers but I can’t give them in a letter. The first chance you get, please phone me or write back, anything. I swear to you, no matter the time of day, I will answer.

I miss you already and it’s not even been an hour since I last saw you. If you decide that you can’t forgive me, then I want you to know that I love you and that night we spent together means the world to me.

Forever yours, Harvey

How dare he? He had the audacity to tell me to phone him and yet when I phoned him the first chance I got, he rejected my call. How could he expect me to believe a word he said? You don’t hurt the person you claim to love; you don’t abandon them the moment things start getting a bit hard. This letter was dated the same day as my sentencing so something clearly changed his mind about me. I honestly couldn’t give a damn about him wanting another chance. He could take his answers and stick them up his arse. I was done asking how high when he told me to jump. For once he could be left waiting on someone, instead of the other way around. 

I scrunched the letter up in anger and threw it behind me. I expected to hear the sound of it hitting the wall and bouncing to the floor but instead there was just silence. Turning in confusion I saw that the letter wasn’t on the floor at all. As my eyes moved towards my cell door I saw black plimsolls with white soles. I already didn’t have a good feeling about this and as I looked up to the owner of those shoes my heart froze, as did my whole body. 

Al chuckled softly as he examined the crumpled letter in his hand before tossing it onto the top bunk. His lips pulled back, leaving him looking like a Cheshire cat and slowly his tongue ran over his lower lip as he eyed me up and down.

“Alone at last” he whispered while stepping closer to me and pulling the door shut behind him.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates!!!


	5. Chapter 5

I quickly got to my feet and tried to put as much space as possible between us. As I looked over his shoulder when he closed the door I suddenly realised just how empty the unit was. I never thought that when faced with this situation I would go blank. I couldn’t think of anything to do to defend myself. It wasn’t like anything in this room was moveable, everything was bolted down and I didn’t think I would be able to successfully use a blanket as a weapon. 

“Did you really think you could get away from me?” he sneered while continuing to eye me up and down.

“I didn’t know you wanted to talk to me.” I was proud at how solid my voice sounded, I had expected it to at least waver but I suppose being a lawyer taught me how to bluff. 

“Don’t play coy, I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me.”

“I haven’t been looking at you” I said while subtly flexing my injured hand to see if I would be able form a fist if needed.

“I know you have because I’ve been looking at you. Looking at that perfect mouth of yours” he smiled wickedly while palming himself. As he did my eyes snapped to his crotch area and the tented jumpsuit caused my heart to stop for a split second before it began to beat furiously in my chest. 

“Like what you see?” he laughed. As he continued to palm himself he let out a small groan “I can’t wait to feel your tight cunt around my dick” he said slightly breathily. 

I felt like a trapped animal with nowhere to turn, he completely blocked the entrance and there was no way I could fight him off. I tried to keep as much space between us and buy some time until I could think of a better plan. The more Al spoke the more I could feel my palms sweat, I was sure I was shaking. My heart was ready to burst out of my chest and I knew that tears were threatening to spill over if I didn’t pull myself together. Crying now would only make this situation even worse and judging by Al’s behaviour so far, me crying would only turn him on even more. 

He began to stalk towards me and I pressed my back firmly against the wall of my cell. I kept looking between him and the door, just waiting for a big enough gap so that I could try and get past him. He didn’t give me that opportunity and instead crowded my space and bracketed me to the wall with his hands on either side of my head. I was instantly assaulted by the smell of perspiration and smoke; I would have gagged if that hadn’t resulted in me moving closer to him. 

“If you wanted, I could make you mine. Then no one would ever hurt you. Would you like that?” he asked softly in my ear.

He brought a hand to cup my face and I tried to move out of his reach but his closeness stopped me from getting far. 

“I’m not into men” I tried, in the vain belief that he would leave.

“Neither am I” he laughed while pressing his hard dick into my front. 

“Then leave me alone” I whispered. 

“No more talk, I want you on your knees” he snapped while trying to force me down and to my knees.

“Stop” I tried to shout but instead it came out as a chocked sob. I pushed against him in an attempt to remain on my feet. He outweighed me and I could feel my legs bending and I knew that it wouldn’t take much more before I found myself crashing to my knees. 

Suddenly the cell door slammed against the wall and as it did I felt like I was going to faint from sheer relief. Al growled in anger and spun round to see who had interrupted him. Standing in the doorway was Patreli and for once I was grateful to see his face.

“What’s going on in here?” Patreli asked, his eyes moving between us.

I saw this as my opportunity to get out of here and I took it. I knew that if Patreli saw I needed medical attention then he would have to take me back to the medic. Without drawing any attention to myself I moved by hands behind my back and managed to loosen the bandages. Although the local anaesthetic was still in my system, it still hurt when I began picking at my stiches. Tears swam in my eyes the harder I pulled but once I freed the end I continued to tug on it until I felt the wound open up. The wetness that I felt told me it was bleeding again and so I dropped my arms back down to my sides and let out a shaky breath. 

“We were just talking” Al told him. 

“This door stays open; you know the rules.”

Before he had the chance to leave us, I made a sound of protest. Al glared at me through narrowed eyes. I knew that if he hadn’t let go of me when Patreli had walked in then he would have been digging his fingers in my arm to shut me up. I refused to look at him or even in his direction because I knew he would only threaten me into silence if I did. The only way I would be able to avoid Al and get out of here would be by praying that Patreli would actually fulfil his duties. 

“What is it Ross?” Patreli asked.

“My stiches came loose, I need them to be redone” I said, holding my hand up and showing him the evidence. 

He looked doubtful, almost as if he didn’t believe a word I had said and I noticed his eyes flick between me and Al again. Finally, he motioned for me to walk towards him and I did, leaving Al behind me. Without any warning Patreli grabbed my injured hand and pulled the bandage off fully to inspect the wound. It was obvious that the stiches had come out and judging by the blood it clearly needed to be redone and cleaned up properly. That didn’t stop Patreli from digging his finger into my hand until my eyes watered out of pain. Just before he let go of my hand he looked at my other one and when I followed his eyes I noticed that my fingers had blood under and down the side of my nails from where I had pulled the stiches out.

“Did you do this to yourself?” he asked me gruffly as he dropped my hand.

“No” I lied while looking him directly in the eyes.

“I don’t like being lied to” he snapped “you’re lucky that I have to make sure this gets seen to. If it was up to me I would leave it to become infected” he continued before dragging me out of the cell by the scruff of my jumpsuit. 

Once we reached the exit of our unit, at a raised eyebrow from one of the guards Patreli simply said “he needs to get his stiches done.” That seemed to appease the guard because he unlocked the door and stepped out of our way.

Thankfully it didn’t take long to get to the medic and the nurse did not look pleased to see me back so soon but I made sure to avoid looking at her. The last thing I needed was to see her scathing look while she redid my stiches. When she was finished I jumped down from the bed and thanked her before falling back into silence and following Patreli out of the room. 

As we walked back towards the unit I could feel Patreli’s eyes boring into the side of my face. Not wanting to give him any reason to talk to me I kept my eyes firmly straight ahead and tried to ignore him as best I could.

“What was that between you and Jenkins?” he finally asked.

“Who?” I asked in confusion. 

“He goes by Al” he supplied.

“Nothing” I told him simply. I may be wet behind the ears when it came to prison but I wasn’t about to start snitching.

“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”

“We were just talking.”

“That right huh?”

“Ye.”

“What have you two got to talk about? Last I checked, he was top three in a gang while you were a fraud.”

I chose to ignore his question because I had no idea what to say. There was nothing I could say that would be either convincing or wouldn’t involve me offending Patreli. 

“If you know what’s good for you then you will answer my question” Patreli threatened me while grabbing my arm and stopping me in my tracks. 

“He wanted to talk about his case” I finally told him. I wanted to pull my arm out of his death grip but I knew that would only serve to piss him off even more. He started into my eyes as if he were trying to decide whether to believe me or not. After a couple of seconds he finally nodded and let go of my arm.

“I’ve told you already, your stay here can go smoothly if you just follow the system” he said and punctuated his point by squeezing my injured hand tightly, after he started walking again. 

I looked at him from the side of my eyes but didn’t reply. I wasn’t exactly in a position to successfully argue back at the moment. 

 

\- - 

 

The second we got back into the unit I saw Gareth standing outside my cell. With no way of successfully avoiding him I went straight to where he was standing.

“Al knows your gay” was the first thing Gareth said to me when I reached him.

“I’m not gay” I replied immediately. Them knowing my sexual orientation was firstly none of their concern and secondly not something I want in a prison full of sexually frustrated men. 

“He saw your letter from Harvey, he isn’t stupid. He wanted you bad before but he wants you even more now.”

“Is this another friendly warning then?”

“I could lie and say I’m trying to help you but really I’m here to help myself and pass on a message” he told me straightforwardly.

“Oh ye, and what message is that?”

“You can run but you can’t hide.” 

With that he turned away from me and walked off to where Al was sitting with the rest of his gang. I could see Al staring at me with his same sick smile and even as I walked to Stu and Kevin’s cell, I could feel his eyes following me. I knew I couldn’t run or hide from him forever but maybe I could find a way for him to leave me alone. Just because I was in prison, it didn’t mean I couldn’t still use my mind and help him out. Why hurt the person who could help you get out of prison? After all, I’ve already lied to Patreli about helping him with his case, why not make that a reality? Me going up to him and offering my services would only result in him thinking I’m talking about my body and not my mind. No. If this has any chance of working, then I need to do it in a way so that he thinks it is his idea. The longer I thought about it and formed a plan in my head the better I started to feel. The sooner I could stop worrying about Al, the sooner I could address other issues, like my own appeal and eventually, Harvey’s letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work and life has been manic so sorry for the delay!!


End file.
